Out of my comfort zone...

...and lovin' every minute of it!

If you are a long time reader you will remember several months ago I blogged about goals. A few of my goals were to be more social with my neighbors and to wear a tank top in public. Well, I am proud to say that I have accomplished both of these goals.

Goal #1 - Since June, I have been much more social with the neighbors and have made some good friendships with them.

Goal #2 - My husband's birthday was last week and after we had a nice birthday dinner, he went outside to hang out with the neighbors. About 15 minutes after the Hubs was out, he came in and said the neighbors wanted me to come outside too. I was still wearing my work clothes (capris and a sleeveless collared shirt that I wore under a denim jacket) and I said I would come out after I changed my shirt (I was not about to bare my naked batwings in front of other people).

He looked at me as if I was crazy and said that after all the weight I have already lost I should feel good about wearing my sleeveless shirt outside and didn't need to change it. I was hesitant but he encouraged me to go outside with what I had on and I did. It was the first step out of my comfort zone and it felt great.

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New Recipe Alert:

Raspberry Delight
1/4 cup Simply Kraft Reduced Fat Ricotta Cheese
1 tsp. Sugar-Free Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Syrup
Handful Fresh Raspberries

1. Mix Ricotta Cheese and syrup until well blended
2. Top with fresh raspberries

YUM-O! You can eat this for breakfast or even dessert.

Calories: 102, Protein: 7.5g, Fat: 4g, Carbohydrates: 9g

p.s. - I only have 15 13.5* more pounds to go before I reach 100 pounds lost!

NOTE: I lost 1.5 pounds since I originally posted this last night.

Playing with My Food

For the past five months, I have been making two separate meals for dinner - one for the family and one for me. While this does not really bother me, I felt it was time to start cooking just one meal that all of us can eat.

For the past few weeks, I have been experimenting with various recipes that not only meet my dietary guidelines but that can also be served to the Hubs without complaint. Most people think that eating healthy means bland or tasteless food but that is really just a myth. To prove that, I am sharing a couple of my favorite recipes along with their nutritional value and am happy to report that I haven't received any complaints.

Happy eating...

p.s. - I am down 81 pounds today!


Shrimp Scampi
Butter flavored cooking spray
3 cloves garlic (or minced equivalent)
1 pound raw jumbo shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup clam juice
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper

1. Spray skillet with butter flavored cooking spray. Heat pan over medium-high heat (do not let the spray start to smoke).
2. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute or until lightly browned.
3. Add shrimp and cook until pink (turning over once).
4. Add white wine and clam juice. Bring to a boil for 30 seconds.
5. Add parsley and lemon juice. Cook for 1 minute.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 servings (or in my case, 1 serving for me and 3 servings for the Hubs)

Calories: 162, Protein: 24g, Fat: 2g, Carbohydrates: 6g

  

Pulled BBQ Chicken Breast
4 chicken breast halves (boneless, skinless)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)

1. Place chicken breasts in pressure cooker and top with barbecue sauce.
2. Secure lid on pressure cooker and set timer for 20 minutes (40 minutes if frozen).
3. Release pressure, remove lid, and shred chicken with two forks.

Makes 5 servings (if serving to a family you can serve on a bun and top with additional barbeque sauce. I eat just the chicken and no bun or additional sauce).

Calories: 145, Protein: 20g, Fat: 2.5g, Carbohydrates: 9g


Maple Bacon Pork Tenderloin
1 pound pork tenderloin
2 slices maple bacon, cut in half

1. Place pork tenderloin in baking dish and top with four half slices of maple bacon.
2. Cover baking dish with tin foil and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.
3. Let stand for 10 minutes. Discard bacon and slice.

Makes 5 servings

Calories: 205, Protein: 30g, Fat: 8g, Carbohydrates: 0g


Breakfast Scramble (who says you can't have breakfast for dinner?)
1/2 cup Southwestern Egg Beaters
2 Tablespoons Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage Crumbles
Pinch fat-free shredded cheese

1. Pour Egg Beaters into a microwave safe bowl and stir in turkey sausage crumbles.
2. Cook on high for 40 seconds. Stir.
3. Cook for an additional 40 seconds.
4. Top with cheese.

Makes 1 serving (can also serve in a low-carb, high-fiber tortilla)

Calories: 102, Protein: 17.25g, Fat: 1g, Carbohydrates: 3.5g

All bad relationships...

…must come to an end!

I travel several times a year for work, which requires quite a few flights. When you are a person of size flying can be embarrassing because typically the smaller the plane the smaller the seatbelt. I have been on many types and sizes of planes over the years and I will never forget the first flight I took when my seatbelt did not fit. I was too embarrassed to say anything to the flight attendant so I faked as if I was wearing it (which was not hard from a window seat). I thought for sure they had a red light blinking somewhere indicating I did not have mine on (like the one in cars when the driver does not have their seatbelt on). I prayed the entire flight that there was not a moment when I actually needed it to keep me safe. I was relieved when we landed.

It was on my return flight from that same trip when I experienced my first true public humiliation from being overweight. I was in an aisle seat this time and once again, my seatbelt did not quite fit. I figured I would just fake it again (I also made a pledge to myself that as soon as I got home I would go on a diet so I wouldn’t be faced with this scenario again).  It was not until after we pulled out and were heading to the runway when a flight attendant came running up the aisle yelling, “Why don’t you have your seatbelt on”. For a moment I thought, “Crap, they DO have an indicator light”. I quickly realized that half of the seatbelt was dangling to the side of my seat in the aisle. I gave him a blank stare because I did not know what to say and this very rude flight attendant (who was a man) kept yelling at me to put it on. I had to tell him, in front of everyone who was now listening, that it did not fit. He rolled his eyes and said he would get me a seatbelt extender. Even though it has been several years since that incident, I can still feel the shame and disgrace from not just him yelling at me but for having to admit something so embarrassing aloud and then having to travel with these people for two hours on a plane where I could not hide.

The next flight I took, I quietly asked the flight attendant if she could discreetly bring me a seatbelt extender (which she did) and when we landed, I decided to “borrow” it and I never gave it back. I would always make sure I had it in my purse or backpack near the top so I did not have to dig for it and before I boarded the plane, I would put it in my pocket. I was not about to go through the humiliation again and no one ever knew.

Since I had surgery, I have had to take several flights. I celebrated my first “no seatbelt extender” flight when I flew first class on a large plane. Yes, flying first class does have its benefits other than champagne and a nice meal. I knew that I would still have to use it on the smaller planes because for whatever reason the airlines seem to think that if the plane is smaller than the passenger must be smaller too. I have to fly on a plane that holds less than 30 people quite a bit so that darn extender and I had quite a bad relationship going.

This past week, I had to take another business trip. I have lost 30 pounds since my last trip so I was hopeful I would not need the extender. I knew it would not be until the last segment of my trip on the way home when I would be put to the test on that dreaded 30-seat commuter plane so I had to bring the darn thing with me. I got on the "plane", made my way to my seat, put my stuff under the seat in front of me, already had the extender near the top of my bag so I could quickly pick it up without anyone seeing in case I needed to use it, and then proceeded to attempt to buckle the actual seatbelt. I held my breath, closed my eyes and then I heard...CLICK. I thought it was lying to me so I opened my eyes to try it again and...CLICK. What a GREAT sound.

Needless to say, I bid farewell to my seatbelt extender. I pushed it to the bottom of my bag and smiled all the way home. Now, I just need to decide on whether or not I give it back or keep it as a reminder of how far I have come and where I will never allow myself to be again.